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Koh Samui Information.

Chaweng Beach Nightlife - Koh Samui's Party Central.

All along the Beach Road you will see sois (streets) leading off into warrens of bars and pubs of varying appeal and popularity. The epicentre of all this hedonism and fun is undoubtedly Soi Green Mango in Central Chaweng, with Soi Reggae, by the lake, coming in a close second.

Before we get too hyperbolic about Chaweng's nightlife it's best to remember that bars close at 02:00 by order of the police so the party curve zooms upward past midnight and peaks a little earlier than some would prefer. And yes, some bars stay open later – those whose owners have friends in high places.

Here are some Chaweng night areas to check out.

Green Mango Square

Making a sweeping U-shape off Central Chaweng's Beach Road, Soi Green Mango is lined with open-sided full-on party bars, each with ear-spitting sound systems vying for aural dominance – and with predictably muddled results. On the northern side of the U there's more of a girlie, pick-up and Go-Go bar atmosphere whereas bars like Green Mango itself and Sweet Soul Café as well as Solo Bar are more for revelers.

Further down the soi, on alleys branching off, are even more pubs and bars so if you're looking for a pub/bar crawl that doesn't involve transport this is perfect territory.

Green Mango Club

The Green Mango Club is hard to miss; it's in a huge warehouse building at the end of the road. It has two main areas with the entrance space playing hip hop and mainstream tunes, whilst the main pumps out some banging house and techno music.
Location:  at the end of Soi Green Mango, Central Chaweng.
Open: 18:00 – 02:00

Sound

Sound is a great outdoor venue, the front bar plays hip-hop and R n'B to a packed house, while the dance floor at the back has DJ's spinning harder house, and there's a big swimming pool separating the two dance floors, which sets the scene for some late-night water fights. This is a really popular venue for the late-night crowd, and doesn't really get going until after 01:00 when it becomes crammed with high-energy revelers.
Location: Soi Green Mango
Open: 00:00 - 05:00

GB Lounge/Dream Girls

Since the social order crackdown began, the more risqué aspects of the shows at Samui's two pre-eminent go-go bars, a short stroll apart on Soi Green Mango have been toned down considerably. Still, these Go-Go bars are worth a visit if only as an eye-opener. Of the two, the split-level Dream Girls is considered the classier version, due to its revolving stage and glass ceiling.
Location: Soi Green Mango, Chaweng
Open: 18:00 – 02:00

Soi Reggae

Out on the street leading to the Reggae Pub from Chaweng Centre you'll find bar after small bar lining the passage with the usual cast of friendly girls, not very original music, a pool table here and there and a general air of seediness.

Things get pretty desperate here the later it gets and the girls get more 'aggressive' in their tactics. You have been warned… Still, it can be a lot of fun if it's all approached with a sense of humour and fun.

Reggae Pub

The Reggae Pub is a large, barn-like institution by Chaweng Lake and has been catering for party people en masse for years now. Here, a large dance floor is surrounded by benches and tables while international DJ's and live bands handle the entertainment through enormous sound systems.
Open: 18:00 – 02:00

Petch Bucha Thai Boxing Stadium

This large stadium near the Reggae Pub is the centre of Muay Thai boxing in Samui. Starting at 21:00 and going on until midnight, fights here are the real thing, unlike some semi-staged efforts at several tourist centres. Seat prices vary but in reality it's much the same experience buying a bleacher pew as in the 'VIP' section, perhaps better. It's a noisy, thrilling and sometimes shocking evening of thrills and spills. Bar available.
Location: at the entrance of Soi Reggae

Chaweng Beach Road 

All along the Beach Road in between the restaurants and shops, pubs, clubs and bars offer nightly fun. The range is tremendous and there is something for everyone, even families with children.

Ark Bar

Another Samui institution, the Ark Bar has been at it for quite a few years. Even though it's changed hands several times the bar/restaurant still uses the same methods to draw people in with fire dancers, ambient music, dining and dancing on the beach and a relaxed atmosphere that extends to a child-friendly vibe, even late at night.
Location: Ark Bar Garden Beach Resort, Chaweng Central Beach Road

Zico's

One of the most spectacular dining options in the south of Thailand, the Brazilian-themed Zico's is an on-fire mixture of entertainment, glam cocktails and skewer after skewer of freshly prepared meat served from sword-like serving knives by strolling waiters. To the side lies a salad bar to balance the all-you-can-eat fixed price meats. Entertainment takes place on a central stage and consists of bottom-wiggling sexy samba dancing girls in outfits that leave little to the imagination, live percussion and sax players.
Location:
Open: Restaurant 18:30 – 22:30 Bar 17:00 – 01:00
Tel: 077-231560-3

Tropical Murphy's

If you're looking for a happy-go-lucky evening with lots of beer choices, good food, great music, pool, quizzes and an Irish ambience look no further than Tropical Murphy's. Owner Paul Watson takes no prisoners in his quest to be the top pub in town and he ensures that everything runs smoothly. Murphy's Thai staff members speak good English and the extensive choice of seating means that you can take in the live music upstairs in the air-con, watch sports downstairs or enjoy the night air and the street sights on the outside terrace.
Location: Opposite McDonald's Central Chaweng

Bar Solo

Bar Solo has a cool, sleek interior and a great music policy as well as a pool table and six plasma screens showing major sporting events. Solo Bar is a good option to start a night out, when you can take advantage of their 1/2price cocktails from 14:00 – 20:00. Later in the evening, the bar gets lively with DJ's spinning funky, uplifting house and chilled lounge tunes.
Location: Central Chaweng Beach Road, next to Starbucks
Open: 14:00 - 02:00

Bar Ice One of the coolest places in town – in more ways than one: The walls, bar, sculptures and seats are made from Canadian ice and are permanent fixtures. And no, it's not the usual tiny, fridge-like arrangement that many ice bars go for; Bar Ice is big enough to hold elephant and tuk tuk sculptures and has separate rooms. The chilliest is kept at -7 degrees, lit by an atmospheric LED lighting system with a full colour spectrum. You can chill in the pub-like part and even sit outside in a beer garden if you wish to smoke. A unique and worthwhile experience. Open: 16:00 – 21:30 Happy Hour with two-for-one cocktails. Location: On the road heading out of northern Chaweng to the Ring Road. A ten-minute walk from Central Chaweng

 

Q Bar

Overlooking Chaweng from its northern end, Q Bar stands regal on a hillside. Along the same lines of its Bangkok counterpart (though less snobby), you simply can't miss the huge neon 'Q' up the road from Bar Ice and this place is bopping later on in the evening and in the early hours. International DJ's spin into the night and punters can choose between the music-filled interior or the ultra-cool exterior with those groovy views. Q Bar also holds special parties and fashion events. This is truly a place to see and be seen in. Be careful heading back down the hill, though.
Location: On the hillside above northern Chaweng.

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Chaweng Beach is the major beach on Ko Samui and one that has developed tremendously since the early 1990s. Just 20 years ago the beach was home to just a sprinkle of wooden bungalows but now the place is swamped with 4-5 star hotels, Italian pizza joints, Irish pubs and even go-go bars. Samui’s nightlife is becoming legendary but unfortunately not always attracting the best standard of tourist. Chaweng’s once ‘hippy’ only backpackers have given way to a lot of ‘lager louts’. Chaweng is the place to be if you are looking for a rowdy reckless party scene.

 

Lamai Beach Like Chaweng, Lamai has transformed from a ‘hippy’ hangout into a fun, party place packed out with bars and exciting nightlife. The beach though, is still in better condition than Chaweng and the place doesn’t get quite so crowded. If it’s a quiet relaxing location you are after, then Lamai won’t be the ideal place for you. At the southern end of Lamai, there are some odd-looking rock formations.

 

Maenam Beach This quite beach, located in the north of the island is decent enough for swimming and sunbathing especially for families with children due to the shallow water.

 

Bophut Beach situated in the north of the island, is a popular starting point for diving tours. The place isn’t in any way as developed as Chaweng but there are still plenty of restaurants, shops and bars.

 

Choengmon Beach is in the North-East of Samui just 10 minutes from Chaweng. Unlike the latter it is a perfect place for relaxing.

 

Big Buddha Beach Located in the north-east of Samui, Big Buddha offers visitors good swimming and lovely views. The area has developed a lot over the past few years and there are now a plentitude of restaurants, shops and bars.

 

Na Thon - The island's major seafront settlement where shops, restaurants and tour agencies are concentrated.

 

Namtok Hin Lat – This waterfall is easily accessible by car. Some of the numerous tiny levels have a large basin for swimmers.

 

Namtok Na Mueang – A local road leads to the Na Mueang 1 Waterfall. A walk of about 30 minutes ends up at the more scenic Na Mueang 2 Waterfall. Purple rocks surround the stream of water, which gushes in from an impressive height of around 79 meters.

 

Wat Khunaram Ko Samui This temple is the island’s most famous temple for its mummified monk on display. The mummy sits upright in a glass casket and devotees offer it flowers and incense. The mummy is in fact the body of a very revered former abbot of the temple who was also a meditation master that was able to predict his own death.

 

Grandmother and Grandfather Rocks These odd-looking rocks situated on Lamai beach bear a striking resemblance to male and female sexual organs and they have turned into one of the island’s biggest attractions. For those who would like to hear a legend or two surrounding the rocks, they need only ask a local.

 

Samui Aquarium and Tiger Zoo Ko Samui Located at Ban Harn beach, the Samui Aquarium and Tiger Zoo offer a fun day out for the family. The undersea world of the aquarium has an amazing collection of tropical fish and other vibrant aquatic animals such as turtles and colorful coral. The tiger zoo is home to Bengal tigers and leopards. For those who are daring enough, they can have their photograph taken with the awesome animals. The Samui Aquarium and Tiger Zoo are open daily from 9AM till 6PM.

 

Big Buddha Temple (Wat Phra Yai) Also known as the Big Buddha Temple (Wat Phra Yai), has a 15 meter tall statue of the Buddha. It was built in 1972 and is in the north of the island.

 

Laem Sor Pagoda Ko Samui This chedi (pagoda) situated at Laem Sor temple is one of the most important shrines on Ko Samui. The structure with its yellow tiles which gives off a golden aura is quite impressive.

 

Samui Butterful Garden / Insect Museum This butterfly garden can be found in the south-east of the island. There is a huge collection of different butterflies, some quarter of a meter wide. The visitor can also enter the insect museum nearby to see a variety of rare bugs and a bee house.

 

Secret Buddha Garden This beautiful garden was made by a 76 year-old Ko Samui fruit farmer in 1976. It is surrounded by lush jungle, rocky hills and is adorned with sculptures depicting both humans, in various poses, as well as various deities. Since the garden is the highest point on the island, there are also some awesome views to be had. Organized tours to the garden last for about 2 hours.